
22
SABBATH-SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, when He lays off His
priestly attire, and clothes Himself with garments of vengeance,
and when the mandate goes forth, 'He that is unjust, let him
be unjust still; . . . and he that is holy, let him be holy still.' "
—"Testimonies for the Church," volume 2, page 190.
3.
"Probation closes; Christ's intercessions cease in heaven.
This time finally comes suddenly upon all, and those who have
neglected to purify their souls by obeying the truth, are found
sleeping. They became weary of waiting and watching; they
became indifferent in regard to the coming of their Master. . . .
While their interest was buried up in their worldly gains, the
work closed in the heavenly sanctuary, and they were unprepared.
If such had only known that the work of Christ in the heavenly
sanctuary would close so soon, how differently would they have
conducted themselves! how earnestly would they have watched!
The Master anticipating all this, gives them timely warning in
the command to watch. He distinctly states the suddenness of
His coming. He does not measure the time, lest we shall neglect
a momentary preparation, and in our indolence look ahead to the
time when we think He will come, and defer the preparation."
—"Testimonies for the Church," volume 2, page 191.
4.
"Trumbull, attending an Oriental wedding, saw the bride's
procession in the afternoon. He was told the bridegroom's pro-
cession would move out later in the evening. He watched for it
several hours, and seeing no sign thereof he went quietly to bed
in his tent. But at
midnight there was a cry made, 'Behold,
the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him'—
literally the
substance of his dragoman's
eall."—Peloubet's Notes, 1901.
5.
"The reply is not selfish, even in the figure, for there was
not enough
for us and you.
To have divided the oil would have
entirely defeated the purpose of the procession." "Personal
character can not be given by one man to another. . . . There is
much, indeed, we can and ought to do for each other. But we
can not give to any one the qualities which we ourselves possess,
but in which he is deficient."—Peloubet's
Notes, 1901.
6.
A modern missionary, describing
a
Hindu wedding, closes
by telling how when the bridegroom went into the house, the door
"was immediately shut and guarded by sepoys. I and others
expostulated with the doorkeepers, but in vain. Never was I so
struck with our Lord's beautiful parable as at this moment
—
and the door was .shut."—Barnes's Notes, volume 1, page 314.
,In studying this parable, it will be observed that all the virgins
took lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. All had
-
some
oil. All waited for him. But as the bridegroom tarried longer